Figuring It Out
by trilightmist
Summary: Loki has been brought back to Midgard three years after his plan failed and is now living with the Avengers. What antics does he get up to, and will he create any connections with the Avengers? Tony/Loki Frostiron


**A/N: MY first avengers story which also happens to be my longest completed story and my first frostiron as well. It turned out a lot different than I intended it to, and I reread over it this morning and fixed any problems I had found, so it should read better. Hope you enjoy!**

Loki found the mortals of Midgard to be interesting; at least once he got to know them. It had been three years since he had attacked Earth and after enduring through the less than favorable punishments of Asgard, Thor was given the task to look after him. Thus he was forced to come to Midgard whenever his oaf of a brother went, which was most of the time. Shield and the Avengers had voiced their opinions on this issue in the best way possible: Clint and Natasha thrust their weapons in Loki's face, Tony made some smartass remark, Bruce left the room to try to keep calm, Steve _tried_ to calm everyone down, and Thor was explaining the situation. Loki found the chaos to be rather amusing, at least until Thor gave an ultimatum: Loki stays or Thor goes. A reluctant Nick Fury grunted out the terms of Loki's stay while the team glared at the God of Mischief. All in all, the situation seemed unsavory.

Tony had shown Loki to his room in the Avenger's home, the home that was previously the location of his demise and capture. Loki stayed in his room most of the time, only leaving when in need of food or fresh air. On the fifth day of his arrival, Loki was meditating on the soft bed; his head was full of annoyed thoughts about staying with the Avengers. A quiet knock pulled Loki from his peace and he frowned. Without waiting for an answer, the door burst open and revealed a rather scruffy Tony (he had been staying in the lab for some time and had barely finished taking a shower when Thor pulled him aside), "Your brother wanted me to invite you to our 'family dinner.' Come on, Reindeer Games. I promise I'll make the Hulk heel if he gets angry."

Loki replaced his frown with a small smirk, "A 'family dinner' really isn't my thing. My _brother_," he ground out the term with some difficulty, "knows this. Perhaps another time," Loki let the smirk drop, effectively erasing any sign of civility and closed his eyes to meditate again. Tony stood in the doorway for a few more seconds before shrugging and joining the others for dinner.

-Line Break-

Later that night, Tony was working on another project that had popped into his mind during dinner. He had jumped up from his chair in his haste to get his ideas down on paper, despite the complaints from his fellow teammates. Tony spent much of his time in the lab after his relationship with Pepper had fallen flat, and though she still worked diligently for him, things were still awkward. Bruce promised Pepper that he would make sure the inventor was fed at semi-regular intervals and got enough rest. Tonight, Tony was working on a way to put a spare arm and leg piece on the suit without weighing it down much. JARVIS broke through his thoughts, "Sir, you have a guest."

"Is it Pepper? You can send her down," Tony was still concentrating on the suit.

"I'm afraid it's not Ms. Potts, but Mr. Laufyeson, and he is already down here," Tony's head swept around the lab, catching the God sitting on one of his cluttered work benches.

"How did you get down here?" Tony muttered, eyeing the God once more, before returning to his work.

"I am a God with an extensive knowledge of magic. I merely teleported down here," Loki shrugged and hopped down from the bench.

"Right, so _why_ are you down here? Going to kill me, because Thor said you were reformed, and I'm sure it will break his big Asgardian heart if you turn all evil again," Tony looked up at Loki who rolled his eyes. The god came closer to inspect the inventor's work. A long finger ran across the suit's smooth metal before its owner sighed, and waved the hand in a dismissive motion.

"Anything that Thor loves will break his heart, he is weak," Loki smirked.

"He may be weak emotionally, but at least Hulk didn't pound his body into the concrete structure of my tower," Tony retorted. Loki glared at the inventor.

"I thought we could perhaps learn from each other, but I believe I would end up harming you before you could teach me anything."

"I am pretty difficult to work with, I've been told and I'm okay with it. That's why I like my inventions. They don't talk back…most of the time," Tony looked at the ceiling, as though JARVIS was there.

"I am quite sorry, sir, but you programmed me. Any back talking was learnt from you." JARVIS replied. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Your tongue will be your downfall one day," Loki sighed, ignoring JARVIS.

"I dunno, the ladies say I'm quite good with my tongue," Tony flashed Loki his award winning smile; he received an odd look from the God before he disappeared from the lab.

"I just don't know what to make of him," Tony muttered, and resumed work on his suit.

"Well, he _is _the God of Mischief and Lies, sir," JARVIS replied.

"Oh shut up."

-Line Break-

Loki waited until later hours of the day to make his way into the kitchen to eat. His cautions had proved fruitful so far, but a noise above him made him look up. A figure squeaked at its discovery and fell from the rafter it was climbing on. Loki raised his brow at the moaning man on the floor.

"I thought Hawks could fly, Agent Barton," Loki teased with an amused smirk.

"Oh fuck you," Clint moaned as he stood.

"Sorry, but you are terribly below my standards."

"AGH! How do you talk to _anyone_!" Clint groaned before grabbing a beer from the fridge and sitting at the island counter.

"It is quite simple, I open my mouth, and my vocal chords produce noise. I simply form the noise into familiar syllables, and then into words," Loki wanted to laugh as Clint stood quickly and left the kitchen muttering about smartass Gods.

"You know, he'll probably keep some kind of weapon around and threaten it with you from now on," Natasha strode into the room, Clint had muttered enough for her to know Loki had pissed him off.

"It was worth it. He is easy to annoy. I find it amusing," Loki shrugged and bit into a leftover casserole. Natasha eyed him thoughtfully before sitting beside him. Loki raised his eyebrow in question.

"Just so you know, the only one that really trusts you right now is Thor, we're just putting on the accepting faces so he won't look like a kicked puppy. But the moment you step out of line, the rest of us won't hesitate to cut you down," Natasha was looking straight into Loki's eyes, the poison seeping through in her voice.

"Of course, it is your home after all. One expects you to protect it, besides, I feel no need to rule anything. The Asgardian way of justice is quite…effective," Natasha's protective look turned into a curious one.

"What did they do?"

"Lips sewn shut, snake venom dripping on my skin, some other rather disturbing punishments I shouldn't mention in the presence of a Lady," Loki shrugged, "But I am a God. It would not kill me, just deter me. And deter me it has. I'm not saying I don't still like causing mischief, it's in my title and that will never change, but I won't be taking over worlds any time soon," Loki smirked.

"Good, because Thor would rather die himself than have to kill you," Natasha stood, "I'm going back to bed, try not to piss Clint off again, he might break something."

"I can't promise anything, Miss Romanoff."

She turned and chuckled, "Call me Natasha."

-Line Break-

Thor burst into Loki's room, causing a glare to be cast his way, "Brother, it is time for our dinner where we all assemble and talk of happy things!" Loki closed his book and slammed it onto the table.

"I believe I have told you _multiple_ times of my dislike of social events, Thor."

"You will enjoy this, brother! There is much alcohol provided by the Man of Iron!" Thor picked up his brother and threw him over his shoulder. Loki began to protest and tried to get down, but was already carried into the dining room. All of the Avengers were staring at the spectacle.

"I always knew Loki would be the damsel in distress," Tony smirked and Loki glared at the genius.

Thor placed Loki in the empty seat between himself and Tony. Food was already piled onto the plate in front of him, and conversation had begun around him. His glass was full of an amber liquid that Loki presumed to be beer. A sigh escaped his lips and he emptied the glass of its contents. If he was going to be forced to eat in here, he might as well be buzzed, so he got several more drinks until he felt curious enough to listen to the conversations around him. The two scientists were discussing use of magic in Tony's suit. This definitely caught the sorcerer's attention, "What is this about using magic?"

Tony turned around, "Well…since you're here, Bruce and I, well, mostly I, were wondering if we could get you to let us test out your magical voodoo stuff," Loki considered this for a moment. He could certainly make Stark owe him something, and though he had not a clue as to what, it would be interesting to have the inventor in his debt.

"Very well, but, you must do something for me," Loki nodded.

"Depends, what do you want?" Tony looked at the God skeptically.

"I am unsure at this moment, but you can owe me a favor."

"Make it non-life threatening and I'm cool."

Loki sighed dramatically, "Very well, it will not harm you."

"Great, let's start tomorrow!"

-Line Break-

They did not have the opportunity to start tomorrow.

Dr. Doom launched an attack on the city and the Avengers were called to fight, Loki was dragged along as well, still not trusted to be alone in the tower. He sat on a roof, watching the fight. He did not feel they needed his help…not that he would want to help. Loki chastised himself. He knew he had begun to grow fond of the Avengers during his short time here. Despite their distrust, they all talked to him and provided much amusement. Bruce was great to when he wanted an intelligent conversation. Clint was fun to mess with and Natasha was good for asking advice. Steve would spar with him and help test his strategic abilities. Thor was…well Thor. Tony. He was confused about Tony. He was smart, yet a smart ass. He was kind, yet sarcastic. Loki found himself drawn to the genius more and more, and it quite frankly irritated him. Loki growled and shot magic at two of the bots below him to release his pent up frustration. When had he begun to grow these feelings for the mortal genius? When they argued over whether or not magic would beat science. Perhaps it was when Tony had saved Loki from the wrath of his brother by suggesting that Thor should visit Jane. Possibly it was all the bantering that came up whenever they were together.

He was so wrapped up in his confusing feelings he barely noticed the red and gold suit being shot out of the sky. His breath hitched, and for a moment he just stared at the area where the suit had fallen. He forced himself out of the shock, and stood quickly as he teleported to the location. The suit was powered down, and Tony's arc reactor flickered weakly. One of Doom's bots approached them and Loki quickly dispatched it before pulling off Tony's helmet. The man was unconscious, but from a quick glance at him, he seemed fine, if a little battered. Loki let out a breath of relief as Tony's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, Prince Charming," Tony groaned out. Ever since he made Loki watch all the Disney movies, he would use references from them left and right. The god rolled his eyes but ignored the comment.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a few bruises, maybe a cracked rib. Nothing I can't handle," Tony pulled himself up gingerly.

"Here, let me heal them," Loki noticed most of the suit was falling apart, so he hardly though twice about ripping the chest plate off, despite Tony's arguing. He placed his hands on Tony's abdomen and allowed the magic to flow. A glowing green surround the god's hands and Tony watched in awe as his wounds healed. Loki went to pull his hands away as he finished but the inventor grabbed them and looked into his eyes, as though searching for an answer. He immediately let go once the other Avengers made their presence known. A light blush dusted Tony's face, but he shook away his odd feelings.

"Doom pulled a Houdini. All of his bots are gone," Clint slapped Tony on the back, "You need to work on your flying. This is what? The second time you've fallen out of the sky?" Tony flipped Clint off before they began to walk ahead laughing. Loki watched after Tony and noticed the assassin watching him. She gave him a knowing smile before heading towards the tower.

What the hell was it about Stark?

-Line Break-

After the battle, Loki submitted himself to help out the Avengers during their nightly sweeps of the town. At first they had all been rather shocked by the idea, but Tony put his hand on the god's shoulder and smiled, "Welcome to the big leagues."

Naturally, after Tony's approval, the Avengers finally agreed and teamed Tony up with Loki. The patrol had started a few hours ago and was proving to be rather boring. The god was using magic to sense anything out of place while Tony flew around in his suit. Occasionally Tony would break the silence with a question to which Loki would provide no real answer to. After a few tries the genius finally gave up and kept silent. Loki heard an explosion over the communication device and cursed colorfully. When he teleported to Tony's location, the man was already blasting at several HYDRA agents.

"I swear, these villains don't know when to give up," Tony growled as he aimed his repulsors at two more agents. Loki scoffed.

"If you had given up easily, you wouldn't be who you are today, they obviously have the right philosophy," Loki smirked.

"Oh? So what does that make you then? You gave up on being a villain, but I don't really think you're trying- shit!- trying to be a hero," Tony blasted a crudely made tank. HYDRA must be desperate if they were using _that_, Tony thought.

Loki stayed quiet a minute as he finished off the last HYDRA agent, "I don't know."

-Line Break-

Loki found himself in the lab once again. Loud music was bouncing off the walls while Tony worked on some unknown device on the other side of the room, "Hey! You, what is this? I thought I told you to clean that earlier," Tony was talking to an arm like machine and pointing at a bunch of metal on his workbench. Tony glanced up and saw Loki. A large smile grew on the inventor's face, which sufficiently confused Loki.

"I believe I have an experiment to participate in?" Loki strode forward and Tony nodded before pointing to a chair in the middle of the room.

"Sit there, and can you take your armor off?" Loki's head snapped up sharply and Tony laughed, "Not all of it, just to the waist, and Pepper says _I'm_ a pervert."

Loki stripped his armor off, leaving on his pants, and sat on the chair. Tony came up with wires attached to a machine, "So, I'm going to attach these to you, turn on that little machine there, and you'll show me some of your," Tony wiggled his fingers, "magic stuff. Nothing destructive though. I like this lab, and I've destroyed it enough for the both of us."

"Where is the doctor?" Loki looked around and had not seen a sign of him.

"Oh, he'll be back later to analyze the data. He has a date with his girlfriend," Tony shrugged. Loki shivered as Tony's breath hit his bare chest. The inventor's fingers brushed across his flesh as he attached the wires. Loki frowned and chastised himself. Why did he feel allured by this mortal? Tony stepped back, his eyes lingering on the sorcerer's bare chest, and turned to the machine, "Okay, let it rip."

Loki took a deep breath and cast one of his cloning spells. Five Loki's stood behind him, all staring at the inventor, who seemed quite intrigued with the results he was getting, "These energy readings are off the map. It's even more powerful than my reactor," He was muttering to himself, "Can you do another spell?" Loki nodded and his clones disappeared. He smirked and allowed his Jotun form to be exposed. It took a bit of magic to block Odin's spell that hid Loki's true form. Tony began to write down a bunch of numbers before looking at Loki quickly then back at his paper. The god smirked when Tony dropped his pen, and turned around. The inventor's mouth was slightly ajar as he studied the new form.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," Loki grinned. Tony shook his head and stepped closer.

"Thor told me you were adopted. This is-"

"Weird, scary, monstrous?"

"Amazing," Tony now stood so close that his breath tickled Loki's neck. He shifted as he fought the urge to kiss the mortal man in front of him, "Can I…?" Tony's fingers hovered over Loki's arm and the sorcerer nodded. His breath hitched as the calloused fingers ran across the markings on his skin. Tony looked at the god and leaned forward slightly before quickly pulling away and clearing his throat, "Well, I think I've got enough information for today. Thanks," he turned and began writing on the paper again. Loki let his normal skin come back and stood before teleporting out of the room. Tony turned back around and sighed.

What the hell was it about Loki?

-Line Break-

Loki took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He was angry and annoyed and confused. Why did he have that want to touch Stark? Did Stark want to kiss him at the moment in the lab? If so, why didn't he? Loki growled and sat up. The view of the city was expansive and the lights twinkled brightly. Loki was almost glad that he had failed in his plans to destroy this city. Almost. Loki was about to stand when he heard more footsteps on the roof. He looked back and was surprised to see Bruce standing a few feet away, "Hello doctor."

To Loki's surprise Bruce sat beside Loki, "Hey, what are you doing up here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

Bruce shrugged, "I like to come up here to think. It helps me get away. To forget about Hulk. Not that it's very easy. He makes his presence well known," Bruce smiled.

"Yes, it is a nice place to think," Loki replied quietly and looked back into the city.

"What happened?"

Loki looked at Bruce. Confusion etched into the god's features, "What do you mean?"

"I know you saw Tony earlier. He was showing me the research. However you've been hiding ever since, and for the last week, you've seemed comfortable enough to hang out around the rest of the Avengers," Bruce studied Loki closely, looking for any sign of emotion.

"Perhaps you have been misinterpreting my presence. Why would I feel close to any of you? I tried to destroy you three years ago. I was _forced _to come here. Do you really think I would keep mortals for company," Loki let out a harsh laugh. Why did he feel bad about lying to the doctor? He was fond of the Avengers, to a point where he would help them protect the city, "I would rather cut your throats in your sleep and watch you bleed out," He hissed out. His mouth turned into a vile smirk as Bruce began to tremble, his skin turning green and his clothes bursting at the seams, "So the monster comes out to play."

Hulk roared and lunged at the god, his large hands gripping the god's body. "Puny god again?" Hulk smiled largely. He almost reminded Loki of Thor.

"Sorry, but no smashing today," Loki growled and allowed magic to trickle to his fingertips. Hulk dropped Loki quickly and looked at him confusedly. Loki had taken on the appearance of Tony. Hulk looked around, obviously searching for the god. 'Tony' laughed, "Yes, you are exactly like my brother," Loki sighed and allowed his true appearance to be shown again. Hulk lunged again before Loki could teleport. He felt the wind whipping around him as he was tossed from the roof. Perhaps taunting Bruce out of emotional insecurity was not one of Loki's brightest plans. The concrete engulfed Loki as he came to a sudden stop. The breathe was knocked out of him and his head cracked against the road. Loki closed his eyes as the blackness tugged at his mind.

-Line Break-

"Loki. Wake up you son of a bitch," a familiar voice pulled Loki from his mind. His eyes opened and provided a blurry view of the world around him.

"Tony?" a frown pulled at Loki's lips.

"Finally. Jesus, you had me worried," Tony sighed, his relief obvious in his face.

"Was Tony Stark, the playboy, worried about me, his enemy?" Loki smirked despite the cloudy feeling in his head.

"Wha-? No. Why would I be? And you're not the villain anymore. I mean you did rush to me when I fell fr-"Loki pressed his lips to Tony's. The inventor looked surprised for a moment but deepened the kiss quickly and eagerly. Loki's tongue slipped into Tony's mouth and they both moaned. Hands tugged at the other's clothes. The sorcerer frowned when Tony pulled away, "We have an audience," He muttered and Loki finally looked around. All of the Avengers surrounded them. Clint looked a bit queasy, and Steve was shocked. Natasha and Bruce both held knowing smiles, while Thor looked confused. Tony helped Loki up and Bruce sidled over to the god.

"Sorry for, uh, getting mad at you. It just strikes a nerve when I get threatened…" Bruce whispered.

"Yes, well, I suppose my lying is believable," Loki smirked. Before Bruce could respond, Thor pushed in between the doctor and the sorcerer.

"Brother, are you and the Man of Iron participating in love making?" Thor's voice boomed loudly. This was not going to be fun. Loki knew his brother was overprotective of him, and this situation would definitely make his hackles rise. He went to respond, but Tony beat him to it.

"Not yet, but Rudolf and I are going to play some games soon."

Clint gagged dramatically and Thor looked absolutely befuddled. Steve couldn't handle the crazy anymore and just left, leaving Natasha and Bruce to calm Clint down.

"I do believe we have emotionally scarred a few Avengers," Loki smirked.

"Fine by me," Tony stole another kiss from Loki and smiled. Why had they been so worried?


End file.
